As Trib changes, commitment to readers remains

During my past 24 years as a working journalist in the Valley, there are a handful of truths that I’ve clung to: “Get the facts right; be fair; spell everyone’s name correctly; if you make a mistake, be quick to correct it; remember, the reporter and the paper are not the story, just the impartial observer and purveyor of facts.”

Tribune’s Opinion page will stay on message

Well, that last “truth” has been challenged mightily during the past year, not only here at the Tribune but at newspapers everywhere.

The newspaper business has been forced to do something it generally prefers not to do — write about itself. It’s been unavoidable, as the ongoing economic downturn, coupled with fundamental and, most likely, permanent changes to the industry have forced newspapers and their parent companies to make difficult financial decisions about the way they do business.

These changes could not simply go by unnoticed by loyal readers in communities that newspapers serve, as jobs were lost and the size of papers continued to shrink. So, newspapers have become the news across the nation, in places like Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, and yes, right here in the East Valley.

Three months ago, Publisher Julie Moreno announced a series of changes that would take place at the Tribune in response to this changing dynamic: Reducing publication of the newspaper from seven to four days: focusing our distribution in key areas of Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler and Queen Creek; reshaping the paper into two, tabloid-size sections; and, perhaps most significantly, distributing the entire paper for free in racks and select neighborhoods.

This week, those changes are taking place.

On Wednesday, we debut four print editions — the Mesa Tribune, Gilbert Tribune, Chandler Tribune and Queen Creek Tribune. These new editions will publish each week on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Tribune, of course, will continue to report news seven days a week at eastvalleytribune.com. I invite you to visit our site frequently each day for news updates, blogs and a variety of features, including ways for you to post information about your community event.

You will notice more than a few changes to the print edition of the Tribune, most designed with busy readers in mind.

The new Take Two section combines relevant local sports news with information about upcoming events, entertainment and celebrities, all packaged in a fresh, fast-paced format. We even included a page of fun, with the popular Sudoku and other puzzles, advice columns and the daily horoscope.

Weather also is found in this section. On Sunday, you can still count on the Wall Street Journal Sunday pages and Parade magazine. As with any major changes, not everything remains the same. Some regular features no longer will appear in print, such as a daily stock market summary (which is readily available online) and a full slate of comics.

What isn’t changing is our commitment to news in our cities. Our front section still is where you will find local news. National news now moves to this section as well. Business news also will remain in the front section, along with our opinion pages (see Opinion Page Editor Le Templar’s column about changes to those pages).

The Tribune is more committed than ever to the communities we continue to serve. More than a newspaper or a Web site, we at the Tribune are part of these communities. Most of us who work here also live right here in the East Valley. We know this place, care about this place and will not waiver in our mission as its watchdog, occasional critic and unabashed champion of its people and causes.

We may be criticized along the way, but that’s OK, too. We can handle the feedback and really do appreciate it.

Tribune Editor Chris Coppola can be reached at ccoppola@evtrib.com or (480) 898-6532.